Meditation Tips for Anxiety & Depression

Here are some meditation practices that I find most helpful when I have anxiety or feelings of depression.

These are just a few techniques that I prefer. If you want to see more practices, then I recommend taking a look at the resources page for some cheap mediation books with tons of practices explained.

Clearing your mind can be harder than you think. But once you do, it can truly relax you and help you see clearly.

Breathing Control

This is where I started, with the breath. It's super simple and a good place to start for clearing your mind. Count your breaths. Breathe in for 4 slow counts. Hold for 4 slow counts. Breathe out for 5 slow counts.

When I start my meditation, I usually start here as a way to focus on the present and clear my mind. This also helps tremendously when I have an anxiety or panic attack. I force myself to count my breaths (sometimes harder said than done). Once I can get my breathing under control, everything else falls into place and I'm able to calm down.

Imagine Letting Go

This is my favorite technique when it comes to letting go of anything - people, thoughts, emotions, worries, anything.

I've covered this technique before, but I want to stress how helpful this can be when your heart and mind are in it. This only works if you truly believe you're at a point where you can let go. If you don't feel at that point or if it doesn't work. Mediate on why. What emotions and thoughts are still tying you to whatever you're trying to let go.

Imagine you’re in a boat, effortlessly drifting along a river. Whatever you are letting go of drifts along with you, in separate boats, tied to yours. In your own time, cut or untie the ropes connecting the other boats to yours. Watch calmly as the other boats slow down, drifting further and further behind you as your boat drifts more easily - lighter. Then envision the people closest to you - those you love and trust. These are the people with places within your boat. They don’t weigh you down. They support you.

Get Comfortable

I feel like a preconceived notion about meditation is you have to sit in a cross-legged position with your hands on your knees and do a little chant. That's not true at all. Meditation is something purely for yourself. You don't do it for anyone else. So the key is just to get comfortable.

Personally I like lying down on a yoga mat or sitting in my extremely comfortable gamer desk chair. Sometimes I even meditate while I clean the apartment or am out for a walk. The point is you can mediate anywhere, at anytime, as long as you are comfortable and able to clear your mind.